Only formal examinations, written or practical, can give a clear picture of students' true knowledge and ability at university level. Continuous assessment like course work and projects are poor measures of student ability. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

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Many people believe that only formal examinations can properly assess students’ knowledge and
ability
at universities,
while
other forms of assessment are unaccountable measures. In my opinion, I strongly disagree that student’s
ability
or learning results should only be based on formal
exams
. Formal examinations are advantageous in many ways. They are believed to be a fair systematic scheme to
test
each individual student equally. People who advocate formal examinations trust that students’ effort and
ability
can be clearly reflected in their marks.
In addition
, learners can develop time
management
skills when given a fixed
test
time. Taking mathematics
for example
, students need to learn how to solve equations by themselves, and taking formal
exams
is the most effective way to
test
students’ problem-solving abilities.
However
, relying solely on one or two formal
exams
can miss out on other important aspects of learning. Many subjects
such
as lab work, project design, real-life
management
and corporation, rely on step-by-step planning, thinking and teamwork. Those abilities are highly valued and necessary for students’ development which cannot be assessed simply by using
exams
. The course work which involves developing students’ creativity, innovative
ability
,
management
or networking skills should not be limited to any examination format within a one or two-hour short time frame. In conclusion, formal
exams
are a fair system to
test
individual students’ learning in some subjects.
However
, there are other crucial learning abilities
such
as creativity, innovation,
management
and networking skills cannot be assessed solely based on one or two
exams
.
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